This invention relates generally to the field of portable cooling devices and more specifically to can cooling device.
Many beverages are currently held in thin walled metal cans that have pop tops. The cans typically hold twelve fluid ounces of liquid such as soda or beer. Most of the beverages held in cans are best served in a cooled state.
Standard home refrigerators cool items stored within them to approximately forty-five degrees F. There are times when access to a home refrigerator is not possible. During these times it would be advantageous to have access to a portable cooling device that could cool a canned beverage, while not needing access to an electrical power source such as a refrigerator.
To this end, chemicals that produce an endothermic reaction can be activated and placed in close proximity to the canned beverage to cool it. The technology to produce an endothermic reaction is well known and has been used in consumer products. For example cooling packs are sold for placing on a body part to help reduce swelling after an injury. To activate the pack the user squeezes a bag which causes an inner bag to rupture. The liquid from the inner bag mixes with powder that surrounds it to cause the endothermic reaction. Roger Quincy et al in his patent application 2008/0053109 discloses a sleeve that can be wrapped around a beverage. The sleeve has materials inside it that can produce an endothermic reaction when the sleeve is squeezed by the user.
However, there are deficiencies in the prior technology. The placement of an endothermic reaction sleeve around a standard beverage can does not allow for the addition of an effective insulating sleeve. If one were to place an insulating sleeve around the cooling sleeve, the resulting diameter would be too large to be easily grasped by a person while drinking a canned beverage contained within the sleeve. Additionally, the liquid and powder within the sleeve must be kept in a uniform consistency throughout the sleeve. The natural gravitational forces will tend to cause the liquid portion to settle at the bottom of the sleeve thereby not allowing an even cooling of the can from top to bottom. Finally, although mention is made to squeezing the sleeve to break a membrane within the sleeve for combining the two ingredients, the act of squeezing may only cause the liquid to be displaced to another portion of the sleeve, and not actually burst the membrane.